GNOME Shell Extensions Updater

1:09 AM

With GNOME Shell Extensions Updater, you can update all the extensions installed from extensions.gnome.org with a single click. This extension checks for updated extensions every 5 days and displays a notification in the GNOME Shell Message Tray with all the available updates:

gnome shell extension updater

To install the updates, simply click "Update all" and all the extensions should be automatically updated:


GNOME Shell Extension Updater is not available on the GNOME Shell Extensions website, but you can easily install it using the commands below. Firstly, install GIT - in Ubuntu, use the following command:
sudo apt-get install git-core

Then, to install the extension on any distro running GNOME Shell 3.4 or 3.2, copy/paste the following commands in a terminal:
cd
git clone git://github.com/eonpatapon/gnome-shell-extension-updater.git
cd gnome-shell-extension-updater
./install.sh
Once installed, restart GNOME Shell and activate the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool.


There aren't any settings to change the update check interval, but if you really need to change it, you can edit the ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/updater@patapon.info/extension.js file and modify the "UPDATE_INTERVAL" value to whatever you want.

via Reda Lazri @ G+

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Autohide Top Bar For GNOME Shell 3.4, More [Ubuntu PPA]

8:59 PM


"Autohide Top Bar", a GNOME Shell extension that lets you toggle the GNOME Shell Top Bar autohide on/off by double clicking it, is now available for GNOME Shell 3.4 and Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin.

If you're not familiar with Autohide Top Bar for GNOME Shell, here's an old video in which you can see it in action:



To install GNOME Shell Autohide Top Bar in Ubuntu 12.04 (for GNOME Shell 3.4), use the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-autohidetopbar
Once installed, reload GNOME Shell and activate the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool.

If toggling autohide on/off doesn't work properly or you just want to change the value, open "extension.js":
gksu gedit /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/autohidetopbar2@werewolves.us/extension.js
And change the "const TIME_DELTA" value to something that works better for you, then restart GNOME Shell.

If you're not using Ubuntu, you can download the extension from HERE.


Besides Autohide Top Bar, two other extensions from the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA were updated this week to support GNOME Shell 3.4: Noa11y (an extension to remove the Accessibility icon) and GNOME Shell Window Overlay Icons extension (an extension that displays an icon for each window in the activities overview, which makes it easier to distinguish the applications). 

To install them in Ubuntu, make sure you've added the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA, then use the following command:
  • to install Noa11y:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-noa11y
  • to install GNOME Shell Window Overlay Icons:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-windowoverlay-icons

Also see:

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GNOME Shell Classic Systray, Message Notifier And Notesearch, Updated For GNOME Shell 3.4 (Ubuntu 12.04)

4:54 PM

A few more GNOME Shell extensions have been updated for GNOME Shell 3.4/3.4.1 and are now available for Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA: Classic Systray, Message Notifier and Notesearch.


To use any of the extensions below, firstly add the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update


gnome shell classic systray extension

GNOME Shell Classic Systray extension (previously known as GNOME Shell GNOME 2 notifications) moves the icons from the GNOME Shell message tray to the top bar. It doesn't move the notifications, but only application icons (tray applets / icons) like for instance Dropbox, Jupiter Applet and so on.

To install GNOME Shell Classic Systray in Ubuntu 12.04 or 11.10, use the following command:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-classic-systray


gnome shell message notifier extension

GNOME Shell Message Notifier shows how many conversations with unread messages you have on the top GNOME Shell bar. It works with Empathy, email clients like Mailnag and basically any application that displays notifications with the number of unread messages. Note that the number displayed by the extension is the number of conversations with new messages and not the total number of messages.

The extension was updated recently and besides support for GNOME Shell 3.4, the extension now shows where the notifications come from when you press the icon on the GNOME Shell top bar.

To install GNOME Shell Message Notifier in Ubuntu 12.04 or 11.10, use the following command:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-message-notifier

After activating the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool, the extension may show up as disabled but it actually still works.


gnome shell notesearch extension

GNOME Shell Notesearch is an extension that can be used to search for Gnote or Tomboy notes in GNOME Shell Overview. Install it using the following command:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extension-notesearch

By default, the extension searches for Gnote notes. To set it to use Tomboy instead, use the following command:
gsettings set com.github.charkins.notesearch app Tomboy
And to switch back to Gnote, use:
gsettings set com.github.charkins.notesearch app Gnote


I've also updated the official GNOME Shell extensions to support the latest GNOME Shell 3.4.1 (they were broken after a recent update; sorry for the delay!) which is available in Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin. See our previous post about extensions updated for GNOME Shell 3.4 and Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin: Official GNOME Shell Extensions, Weather, System Monitor, MediaPlayer And GPaste Available For GNOME Shell 3.4 [PPA - Ubuntu 12.04]

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Official GNOME Shell Extensions, Weather, System Monitor, MediaPlayer And GPaste Available For GNOME Shell 3.4 [PPA - Ubuntu 12.04]

10:31 PM

GNOME Shell 3.4

A quick update for Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin users running GNOME Shell: I've updated some of the extensions available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA to the latest version which works with GNOME Shell 3.4.

The updated extensions that work with GNOME Shell 3.4 available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA are: the official GNOME Shell extensions (now it's a single package), GNOME Shell Weather, GPaste (clipboard tool), System Monitor and MediaPlayer. More will follow.

Initially, I wasn't planning on updating them since they are available on extensions.gnome.org, but I've got quite a few requests for this. One thing that's not available for extensions installed through GNOME's extensions website is update support so the PPA should be useful for those who want to use the latest version of the above mentioned extensions.


Installation


To be able to install the extensions, you'll have to firstly add the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update

Then, install the official GNOME Shell extensions (includes the following extensions: Dock, User Theme, Alternative Status Menu, Alternate Tab, Drive Menu, SystemMonitor, Gajim, Workspace Indicator, Apps Menu, Auto Move Windows, Native Window Placement, Places Menu, windowsNavigator ):
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions

To install the GNOME Shell Weather Extension:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-weather

For installing GNOME Shell System Monitor (this is a different extension than the official GNOME Shell System Monitor), use:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-system-monitor

To install GPaste clipboard tool, use:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-gpaste

And to install GNOME Shell Mediaplayer extension:
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-mediaplayer

To enable the extensions, you'll need GNOME Tweak Tool so install it if you haven't already:
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool

Then, restart GNOME Shell by pressing ALT + F2 and entering "r" (or log out and log back in), open GNOME Tweak Tool and enable the extensions you want to use.

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Get Unity-Like Window Buttons On The Top GNOME Shell Bar

11:24 PM

Window buttons on top GNOME Shell bar

I'm using a netbook these days and by default, GNOME Shell isn't great for screen real estate, so to get more vertical screen space I'm using GNOME Shell Window Buttons extension and Maximus (along with GNOME Shell Global Menu).

Window Buttons is a GNOME Shell extension that tries to replicate the Window Applets (or Unity) behavior for GNOME Shell: it adds the minimize, maximize and close buttons on the top GNOME Shell panel.

The window buttons can be customized: you can select from 5 built-in themes (or create your own theme), place them on left or right or change the buttons order.

The extension is about 3 weeks old, but I didn't write about it until now because of a bug that caused GNOME Shell to crash when used in combination with Maximus (which has been fixed).

Maximus is a tool to automatically remove maximized windows tiltebar.



Install GNOME Shell Window Buttons extension


To install GNOME Shell Window Buttons in Ubuntu 11.10, use the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extension-window-buttons

Once installed, restart GNOME Shell (or log out and log back in) and enable the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool.

To also install Maximus, see: How To Remove Maximized Windows Titlebar In GNOME Shell.


For other Linux distributions you can find installation instructions on the GNOME Shell Window Buttons extension GitHub page.




Configure GNOME Shell Window Buttons



GNOME Shell Window Buttons doesn't come with a configuration tool, but you can customize various aspects of the extension using Dconf Editor. To install Dconf Editor in Ubuntu, use the command below:
sudo apt-get install dconf-tools

You'll find all the Window Buttons extension settings in Dconf Editor under org > gnome > shell > extensions > window-buttons.



By default, the extension tries to use a theme to match your current Mutter/Metacity theme, but you can specify other themes such as Ambiance, Radiance, Zukitwo or Zukitwo-Dark. To be able to specify one of these themes, make sure you uncheck the "dogtk" box.

You can easily create your own themes too - check out the existing themes under /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/window_buttons@biox.github.com/themes to see how to create a theme! You can submit new themes @ Window Buttons Github page.

Also, the extension displays the same button arrangement as Mutter so for instance if you only have a close button on the windows, the extension will only display a close button too. The same goes for the button placement: if the button are placed on the left on the windows, they will also show up on the left on the top GNOME Shell bar. But this can be changed (you can change the both the buttons order and placement: left/right) in Dconf Editor, by modifying the "pinch" value: changing it to "Metacity", the buttons placement and order will follow that of Metacity; if you select "Custom", you can manually specify the buttons order and placement under "order".

In Dconf-Editor you can also specify to only show the buttons for maximized windows or to only control maximized windows.

After changing some of the settings (like the Window Buttons theme), you must restart GNOME Shell.

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GPaste Gets Image And File Copy Support

9:32 PM


GPaste (native GNOME Shell clipboard manager) 2.1 has been released recently and is now available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA.

Changes in GPaste since the previous version available in our PPA:
  • image support
  • uris support (files copying)
  • new gpaste subcommand: raw-history to display history without numbers
  • fix for the keyboard shortcut bug
  • many under the hood changes and bug fixes
In my test, the new files support only worked with Nautilus (it didn't work with Marlin for instance).


To install GPaste 2.1 in Ubuntu, use the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-gpaste

Once installed, reload GNOME Shell and activate GPaste using GNOME Tweak Tool (you also need to restart GNOME Shell if you're upgrading GPaste).

Important: If you're upgrading GPaste, you'll also need to run the following command to enable the new features:
gpaste dr


Other Linux distributions:
  • For Fedora, see: THIS post (but I didn't test it with the latest GPaste 2.1).
  • Arch Linux: GPaste is available in AUR.
  • Other Linux distributions: get the source via GitHub.

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GNOME Shell Extensions Website Launched

9:30 PM


GNOME Shell got support for one click extensions installation starting with version 3.1.91.1, but the GNOME Shell extensions website wasn't ready until yesterday, when extensions.gnome.org has finally been launched as public alpha.

For now, you can only install extensions using Firefox, through a browser plugin that should be installed by default in GNOME 3.2. Also, the extensions installation (on/off) button only shows up if you're running GNOME Shell, so don't try to install an extension from Unity for instance, as it won't work.

There are already a few extensions to download: the official GNOME Shell extensions such as Alternative Status Menu or Dock, as well as some Frippery extensions like Bottom Panel or static workspaces.


According to the release announcement, extensions that use GSettings to store user settings cannot be installed as an user for now and a fix for this is targeted for GNOME 3.4. 

Also, due to a bug in GNOME Shell 3.2.1, the uninstall button doesn't work for some extensions - you can disable the extensions, but to completely remove them you must manually delete the folder under ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/.

And finally: if the extensions require extra dependencies, you'll need to manually install them. Hopefully something will be done about this in the future.


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Tomboy And Gnote GNOME Shell Search Provider

5:38 PM

GNOME Shell Note Search provider is an extension that can be used to search for Gnote or Tomboy notes in GNOME Shell Overview. It's kind of like Unity Tomboy Lens, but for GNOME Shell.




Please note that in my test, some (long) note titles are almost unreadable using most custom GNOME Shell themes because they trim the names in the Overview. This shouldn't be an issue using the default GNOME Shell theme because it allows longer names in the Overview.


If you are using Gnote 0.8.0 and 0.8.1, you need to patch Gnote so that the Gnote window doesn't pop up when the extension is activated. See the GNOME Shell Note Search GitHub page for the patch. However, there's a simple work-around for this: enable the Gnote tray icon. If you use Ubuntu 11.10 with Gnote installed via the official repositories (version 0.7.5), none of these is required.


To install GNOME Shell Note Search in Ubuntu 11.10, use the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extension-notesearch

Once installed, restart GNOME Shell (ALT + F2 and enter "r"), then activate the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool.

By default, the extension searches for Gnote notes. To set it to use Tomboy instead, use the following command:
gsettings set com.github.charkins.notesearch app Tomboy

And to switch back to Gnote, use:
gsettings set com.github.charkins.notesearch app Gnote


If you're not using Ubuntu, get GNOME Shell Note Search via GitHub.

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Install GNOME Shell Global Menu In Ubuntu Via PPA

7:11 PM


Because I've got many requests for this, I've uploaded GNOME Shell Global Menu to the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA.


For those who haven't seen it already, here's Global Menu for GNOME Shell in action (old video):





Before installing it, please read the following notes:
  • Global Menu for GNOME Shell is currently in alpha! 
  • It only works with GTK applications (it may not even work with all GTK apps), so it won't work with Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, Java or even Qt apps;
  • it can crash GNOME Shell and you'll encounter bugs, including a bug that causes the windows for which the menu has been hidden to display a small gap where the menu used to be (this can be somewhat avoided by using a theme for which the gap is smaller, like Elementary for the titlebar and Zukitwo or Evolve GTK);
  • it may not work at all ;
  • I didn't create separate packages for each component, it's just one package that provides all the files. So if later on, GNOME Shell Global Menu will be uploaded to its official PPA, you'll have to remove this package.

So use it at your own risk!



Install GNOME Shell Global Menu in Ubuntu 11.10 via PPA



1. If you've previously tried to install GNOME Shell Global Menu from source, make sure you've completely removed any installed files:

sudo rm /usr/bin/gnome-globalmenu-manager
sudo rm -rf "/usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/GlobalMenu@globalmenu.org"
sudo rm /usr/lib/gtk-2.0/modules/libglobalmenu*
sudo rm /usr/lib/gtk-3.0/modules/libglobalmenu*
sudo rm /usr/share/dbus-1/services/org.globalmenu.manager.service
sudo rm /etc/profile.d/globalmenu.sh

2. Then, to add the WebUpd8 GNOME3 PPA and install GNOME Shell Global Menu, use the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome3-globalmenu

3. Restart GNOME Shell (press ALT + F2 and enter "r") and activate GNOME Shell Global Menu extension using GNOME Tweak Tool, then log out and log back in. This is required and it won't work without logging out! If it still doesn't work, try a system restart.


Tip: if you want to launch an application without Global Menu, use the following command:
GTK_MODULES= APPLICATION-NAME

For example, to launch GIMP with the menu in its window and not on the top panel, use:
GTK_MODULES= gimp


For installing GNOME Shell Global Menu from source, see our initial post: Get A Global Menu In GNOME Shell



Remove GNOME Shell Global Menu


Simply disabling the extension isn't enough to get the menus back. You must remove GNOME Shell Global Menu:
sudo apt-get purge gnome3-globalmenu

(in the command above I've used "purge" so that /etc/profile.d/globalmenu.sh is removed too)

Then log out and log back in.

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Never Miss IM Notifications In GNOME Shell With Shell Message Notifier

7:16 AM


Currently when you receive a message in GNOME Shell, the notification is displayed for a few seconds and that's about it - you can't tell if you have new messages unless you take a look at the message tray, which is hidden by default.

So if you often miss IM notifications in GNOME Shell, you can use an extension called Shell Message Notifier which displays the number of conversations with unread messages on the top GNOME Shell bar (in my test it only worked with Empathy).

Update: it seems the extension works with any application that displays a notification counter in the message tray (so for instance, it works with Mailnag too).

The extension is very simple and doesn't do anything else so nothing will happen if you click the notification icon on the top bar:


The extension is unpolished, it does very little, the code is horrible and I didn’t pay any attention to usability; I just wanted a quick fix while waiting for upstream to fix the bug properly. Nevertheless, I hope this code will be useful for other people too!

- Marco Barisione, the extension developer


Ubuntu 11.10 users can use our GNOME 3 PPA to install Shell Message Notifier:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-message-notifier

Once installed, reload GNOME Shell (press ALT + F2 and enter "r" or log out and log back in), enable the extension and then restart GNOME Shell once again.


For other Linux distributions, install it using the commands below:
git clone git://git.collabora.co.uk/git/user/bari/shell-message-notifier.git
cd shell-message-notifier
make install

Then follow the instructions (it's not a typical "make install").


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Autohide Top Bar Extension Finally Available For GNOME Shell 3.2 (Bonus: Hamster And Overlay Icons Extensions)

11:50 PM

WebUpd8 reader KRK has updated the GNOME Shell Autohide Top Bar extension for GNOME Shell 3.2. The extension, initially created by fpmurphy, lets you hide the GNOME Shell top bar by double clicking it. To disable autohiding, double click the top bar again.

Here's a video I've recorded a while back demoing GNOME Shell Autohide Top Bar extension - it's an old video, but the updated extension works in the same way:




The extension is available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA - add the PPA and install it using the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-autohidetopbar

If you've installed the original Autohide Top Bar extension, remove it before installing this one!

Once installed, reload GNOME Shell and activate the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool.

If toggling autohide on/off doesn't work properly or you just want to change the value, open "extension.js":
gksu gedit /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/autohidetopbar2@werewolves.us/extension.js

And increase the "const TIME_DELTA" value to something that works for you.

If you're not using Ubuntu, download the extension from HERE, extract it and place the folder under /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions (or ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions).



GNOME Shell Window Overlay Icons


GNOME Shell window overlay icons extension


Window Overlay Icons is an extension that displays an icon for each window in the activities overview, which makes it easier to distinguish the applications. The extension has been recently updated to work with GNOME Shell 3.2 and is available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA.

Note: this extension is incompatible with the native window placement extension.


Add the PPA and install GNOME Shell Window Overlay Icons extension using the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-windowoverlay-icons

Once installed, reload GNOME Shell and activate the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool.

If you're not using Ubuntu, get the extension via GitHub.



Hamster applet GNOME Shell extension


GNOME Shell Hamster extension

Hamster (time tracking tool) is available for GNOME Shell. Unfortunately, its functionality is very limited for now (because it's still work in progress): you can only search and see the latest activity on the panel. To add a new activity click "Show Overview".

Install Hamster GNOME Shell extension in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot using the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-hamster

If you're not using Ubuntu, get Hamster for GNOME Shell via GitHub (note: you'll also need "hamster-applet").

If you use Unity, there's a Hamster indicator too, see: Install Hamster Indicator (Time Tracking Tool) In Ubuntu



Oh, and today I've also updated 5 of the GNOME Shell extensions available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA - see: http://ppa.webupd8.org.


Important: all the extensions available in the GNOME 3 WebUpd8 PPA work with GNOME Shell 3.2.0/3.2.1. If you've upgraded GNOME Shell or GNOME Tweak Tool from some PPA, the extensions may not work!

Thanks to Tonic Artos for the Overlay Icons tip and KRK for porting Autohide Top Bar to GNOME Shell 3.2!

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Update Indicator For GNOME Shell Displays New Updates On The Top Bar

12:51 AM

GNOME Shell update manager indicator

Update Indicator GNOME Shell extension displays new updates on the GNOME Shell top bar. Using it, you can see a list of available updates, update the software sources or install the updates with a single click.

Currently, the number of available updates is displayed in the center of the GNOME Shell top bar, next to the calendar and unfortunately there are no settings to move it for now.

The extension was updated yesterday to support the latest GNOME Shell 3.2.1 (without having to tweak the version in the metadata file) and is available in its developer PPA - install it in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot using the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:aegirxx-googlemail/gnome-shell-extensions
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extension-updateindicator

Once installed, reload GNOME Shell and use GNOME Tweak Tool to activate the extension.

If you're not using Ubuntu, download UpdateIndicator GNOME Shell extension via Launchpad (use: "bzr branch lp:updateindicator" to get the code).


For a similar tool but for Unity (uses Ubuntu appindicator), see: Update Manager Indicator For Ubuntu Brings Old Update Manager Behavior With Extra Features

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Try The New Mint GNOME Shell Extensions (MGSE)

8:23 PM

Linux Mint GNOME Shell extensions

The official Linux Mint GNOME Shell (more about Linux Mint 12 here) extensions can be downloaded via GitHub. However, since some of them are forks of the official GNOME Shell extensions, it's not a good idea to install and activate all of them because of possible conflicts with the original extensions.

If you want to manually install some of the MGSE extensions, get the Git branch, open the "test" script and remove any extensions you don't want to install. And finally, run the "test" script (./test).

For Arch Linux, you can find all the MGSE extensions in AUR: http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=53742

To make it easier for Ubuntu users to give some of the new MGSE (Mint GNOME Shell Extensions) a try, I've uploaded 3 extensions to the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA (all credits for the extensions: Linux Mint and their official authors, all I did was to upload them to the PPA).

The following MGSE extensions are available in our PPA: MGSE Menu, MGSE Bottompanel and MGSE Window List. Please note that the extensions are still work in progress!

Add the PPA and install them in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot using the following commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mgse-bottompanel mgse-menu mgse-windowlist

Once installed, reload GNOME Shell and activate the extensions using GNOME Tweak Tool.

The Windowlist and Bottom panel extensions need to be enabled in the same time, however, MGSE Menu can be used without the bottom panel, in which case it will be displayed in the top left corner, moving the Activities button to the right of it:

Linux Mint GNOME Shell menu extension


Important: in my tests, I've discovered some bugs that occur when enabling/disabling these extensions (for instance: the Activities button may disappear after an enable/disable combination of the MGSE menu extension), but you can fix them by simply reloading GNOME Shell (or log out and log back in).

Also, Linux Mint 12 will use Zukitwo GTK and GNOME Shell theme. The "mintified" Zukitwo GTK theme can be found here, but if you want to easily install the original Zukitwo (as well as Zukitwo GNOME Shell theme), use the WebUpd8 themes PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/themes
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install zukitwo-theme-all

If you're not using Ubuntu, download Zukitwo via DeviantArt.


Update: for a GNOME Shell theme that supports the bottom panel, see THIS LinuxtMint forum thread. Here's a screenshot (thanks to Satya!):

Mintified gnome shell



Other GNOME Shell extensions news


And since this post is about GNOME Shell extensions, I'll use it to let you know that another GNOME Shell extension is now available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA: GNOME Shell Classic Systray (previously known as GNOME Shell GNOME 2 notifications). This extension basically the same as the MGSE Notifications extension, but it doesn't move the clock to the right.

Note: if you've manually installed "GNOME Shell GNOME 2 notifications", remove it before installing this extension:
rm -rf "/usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/gnome-shell-gnome2-notifications@emergya.com"
rm -rf "~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/gnome-shell-gnome2-notifications@emergya.com"

To install it, use the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-classic-systray

Once installed, reload GNOME Shell and activate the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool. Important: after activating the extension, you'll have to reload GNOME Shell once again to get the icons on top.


GNOME Shell Mediaplayer extension

And finally, the GNOME Shell Mediaplayer extension (installation instructions here) has been updated to the latest GIT in our PPA and you can now specify where it should be displayed, hide/show media player volume control slider and set the cover art size:

To show the extension in its own menu instead of the volume menu:
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.mediaplayer volumemenu false

To show the volume control slider of the media player:
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.mediaplayer volume true

Set the size of the cover (default 80):
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.mediaplayer coversize 100

(each of the above changes requires a GNOME Shell restart).

Other changes: use GS control button styles, smaller button icons, DeadBeef and Totem support and various fixes.

Thanks to Charles Bowman for the MGSE tip!

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Gnome Shell Focus Effects Extension

12:39 AM

GNOME Shell focus effects extension

Florian (who's also behind the unofficial GNOME Shell System Monitor extension) has created a new extension called Focus Effects that allows you to add custom effects on window focus / blur.

According to Florian, the extension has been created to show what can be done using Clutter and to give ideas for developing fun GNOME Shell extensions similar to the Compiz plugins.

By default, the extension adds a Clutter desaturation and and opacity effect, but you can customize this by creating a file called ".ffxrc.json" in your home directory (the extension comes with an example) and then reloading GNOME Shell.

To install GNOME Shell Focus Effects Extension, make sure GIT is installed (in Ubuntu, install git-core), then run the following commands:

cd
git clone https://github.com/paradoxxxzero/gnome-shell-focus-effects-extension.git
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions
cp -r gnome-shell-focus-effects-extension/focus-effects@paradoxxx.zero.gmail.com ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/

Update: for Arch Linux, you can find the extension in AUR (thanks to Alucryd!).


To also copy the example config file to your home folder, run the following command:
cp gnome-shell-focus-effects-extension/example.ffxrc.json ~/.ffxrc.json

Now you can tweak the effects by opening the .ffxrc.json file in your home folder (it's a hidden file so press CTRL+H to see hidden files and folders).

Once installed, restart GNOME Shell and apply the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool.
Note: you'll also have to restart GNOME Shell (or log out and log back in) after disabling the extension!


Thanks to Florian for the tip!

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Extended Places Menu GNOME Shell Extension

10:43 PM

Extended places menu GNOME Shell extension

Extended Places Menu is a new GNOME Shell extension based on the official Places Menu extension, but with some extra features like:
  • open file system as root
  • submenu for quickly launching VirtualBox machines (can be enabled/disabled in the preferences)
  • submenu for FTP sites (can be enabled/disabled in the preferences) - supported clients: Filezilla and gFTP
  • collapsable bookmarks
  • a submenu for custom actions that you can define in the preferences


The extension might conflict with the regular Places Menu extension so make sure you disable it before using this extension (just in case).

Also, if you've manually installed the extension, remove the files before installing the package in the WebUp8 PPA, most importantly /usr/local/share/glib-2.0/schemas/org.gnome.shell.extensions.places-menu-extended.gschema.xml - the PPA package installs this under /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas because Launchpad doesn't allow files under /usr/local.

Extended Places Menu GNOME Shell extension is available in the WebUpd8 GNOME3 PPA so if you use Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot, install it using the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-extended-places-menu

If you're not using Ubuntu, download Extended Places Menu GNOME Shell extension via GNOME Look - the archive includes step-by-step installation instructions.

For Arch Linux, you can get the extension via AUR.


Once installed, restart GNOME Shell (press ALT + F2 and enter "r" or log out and log back in) and enable the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool.

To enable VirtualBox VMs, FTP, tweak other settings or define a custom actions list, select "Preferences" from the extension drop-down. Remember to click "Save" after making any changes or else the extension won't be updated!

Update: if you use FileZilla with subfolders, see HERE how to get it working with Extended Places Menu.

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Install GPaste In Ubuntu (Native GNOME Shell Clipboard Manager)

5:42 PM

GPaste

GPaste is a clipboard management tool which comes with a command line client as well as a GNOME Shell extension. The application is very simple and doesn't support images, files and so on.

Using the configuration tool, you can set the maximum history size, the maximum element size and synchronize the clipboard with primary selection. From the extension menu you can turn the tracking on/off, which is useful if you want to copy some password, etc.

GPaste is available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA so to install it in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot, use the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-gpaste

If you want to only install the daemon, install "gpaste" only.

Once installed, restart GNOME Shell and activate GPaste using GNOME Tweak Tool.

Important: after activating the extension for the first time, the GPaste daemon doesn't run automatically so open a terminal and type: "gpaste". Then copy some text and the "Gpaste daemon isn't running" message should disappear.

For other Linux distributions, see GPaste @ GitHub.

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Minitunes Renamed To Musique, GNOME Shell Mediaplayer Extension Update [PPA Updates]

9:46 PM

Musique


Musique

Minitunes - a Qt music player created by the Minitube developer -, has been renamed to "Musique". Besides the new name, there's also a new version that comes with bug fixes as well as a Windows version, making Musique fully cross-platform.


Musique can be downloaded via http://flavio.tordini.org/musique. If you use Ubuntu, you can install it from the main WebUpd8 PPA (available for Lucid, Maverick, Natty and Oneiric, but please note that I've only tested it on Oneiric):
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install musique


GNOME Shell Mediaplayer extension


GNOME Shell mediaplayer

GNOME Shell Mediaplayer extension has been updated recently to use the GNOME Shell volume icon instead of placing a new icon on the top GNOME Shell panel. Other changes: Pithos support and a bug that was causing GNOME Shell to crash has been fixed.

Install it in Ubuntu using the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-mediaplayer

If you're not using Ubuntu, get GNOME Shell Mediaplayer via GitHub.

Once installed, restart GNOME Shell (press ALT + F2 and enter "r" or log out and log back in), then use GNOME Tweak Tool to activate it.

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GNOME Shell Mediaplayer Extension Available In The WebUpd8 GNOME3 PPA

5:17 PM

GNOME Shell Mediaplayer Extension

Mediaplayer GNOME Shell extension is now available in the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA. This extension can control MPRIS capable media players from the GNOME Shell top bar.

Currently it supports the following players: full support (meaning seek works too) for Clementine, Banshee, Rhythmbox, QuodLibet and Amarok and without seek support: Clementine, MPD, Pragha, Guayadeque, Google Music Frame, XBMC.

GNOME Shell Mediaplayer Extension automatically detects your music player when you run it so you don't have to select it from the preferences or anything like that. However, if your music player is not on the supported players list, you can force the extension to support it by editing the metadata.json file under /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/ and adding it to the "players" list (but obviously, it will only work if it supports MPRIS).

To install GNOME Shell Mediaplayer extension from the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA, use the commands below:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-mediaplayer

Once installed, restart GNOME Shell (press ALT + F2 and enter "r" or log out and log back in), then use GNOME Tweak Tool to activate it.


Update: you can now customize the extension:

To show the extension in its own menu instead of the volume menu:
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.mediaplayer volumemenu false
To show the volume control slider of the media player:
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.mediaplayer volume true
Set the size of the cover (default 80):
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.mediaplayer coversize 100
(each of the above changes requires a GNOME Shell restart).


Important: the extension shows up on the top panel only when a supported media player is running! Please don't report this as a bug.

Report any bugs you may find @ GitHub.

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GNOME Shell System Monitor Extension Available In The WebUpd8 GNOME3 PPA

5:23 PM

GNOME Shell System Monitor is a highly configurable system monitor extension for GNOME Shell (do not confuse this with the official System Monitor extension!). It can display the CPU, RAM, Swap, Network or disk usage on the top GNOME Shell bar, either as a graph or digits (or both) and you can customize the colors, position and more.

GNOME Shell system monitor

GNOME Shell system monitor

To make it easier to install, I've uploaded GNOME Shell System Monitor to the WebUpd8 GNOME 3 PPA for Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot. Install it using the following commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-system-monitor

Once installed, restart GNOME Shell (ALT + F2 and enter "r" or log out and log back in), open GNOME Tweak Tool and activate the extension.

If you're not using Ubuntu, get GNOME Shell System Monitor via GitHub.

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Native GNOME Shell Notifications For Pidgin [PPA]

5:04 PM

Pidgin GNOME Shell notifications

In GNOME Shell 3.2 you can reply to chat from the popup notifications, but that only works for Empathy by default. So here is a GNOME Shell extension that does the same thing but for Pidgin.

Pidgin GNOME Shell extension is easy to install but to make it even easier (and also get updates without having to run a bunch of commands), I've uploaded it to the WebUpd8 GNOME3 PPA.

Add the PPA and install Pidgin GNOME Shell extension in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot using the following commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-pidgin


Also install GNOME Tweak Tool if you haven't already:
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool


If you don't use Ubuntu or don't want to use our GNOME3 PPA, install it manually using the following commands (firstly make sure GIT is installed):
cd
git clone https://github.com/kagesenshi/gnome-shell-extensions-pidgin.git
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/pidgin@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org
cp gnome-shell-extensions-pidgin/* ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/pidgin@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org/


Once installed, restart GNOME Shell (press ALT + F2 and enter "r" or log out and log back in), then activate the extension using GNOME Tweak Tool (shows up as "Advanced settings" in the Activities "menu").

Tip: to avoid getting both the standard Pidgin notifications and the new ones, in Pidgin select Tools > Plugins and uncheck the box next to "Libnotify Popups".

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